Need a boring hatchback...

Mindfulness

So I'll shortly be selling my A3* to free up some cash. I will have about 5k or maybe up to 6.5k to spend on my next car.

What hatchback would you recommend for that money?

Specs:
Given the mileage, it should be a petrol
Insurance and tax need to be fairly cheap (I'm late-30s, no accidents on record)
Should be around the same size as the A3/Golf/Leon/Focus etc i.e. not a Yaris/Micra
Must have climate control
Bluetooth would be nice but not an absolute requirement
Cruise control would be nice too

I'd like something fairly reliable with some power (My A3 is a 170 bhp), around 125bhp+, so I can at least overtake snails even if I won't be tearing strips off the tarmac

Basically, rather than listing examples from Donedeal, just let me know what make and models you think might be worthwhile checking out. Right now I'm leaning towards a Fiat Bravo (Yeah, I know...I asked for reliable :pac:).

Thoughts?



*Yeah, yeah, I know, an A3 is boring hatchback so I should stick with it and save myself the trouble

TGi666

1.6 focus?
future father in law has one and seems to be decent poke in it compared to the 1.4

JohnBoy26

For 5k it will be hard to find a car that fits all your requirments. However if you had a bigger budget I would reccomend a 2006 onwards Honda Civic 1.8 ivtec 140bhp. These have a good blend of performance and economy and not forgetting, good reliability also.

langdang

Why 5k? If part of the reason is to free up cash, then why not go for a 2-3K car, and pocket the rest? Especially if it just needs to be a boring, A-B car.

Is there an age limit?

You'll need a good 1.6 or a lazy-ish 1.8 to give you 120hp, the good news is they will be cheaper than the boggo 1.4 version of the same car, the bad news is they were probably not as popular as the boggo 1.4

Mazda 3?

RootX

Mindfulness wrote: »

Right now I'm leaning towards a Fiat Bravo

Bravo is very reliable but I doubt you'll find a t-jet(120/150 hp) for 5k.

The cheapest one I've seen on donedeal is this one.

Mindfulness

langdang wrote: »

Why 5k? If part of the reason is to free up cash, then why not go for a 2-3K car, and pocket the rest? Especially if it just needs to be a boring, A-B car.

It will be doing a once, maybe twice weekly journey of 200 miles but the rest of the time it will be doing short trips or 50 mile trips to an airport. So I want something that has some level of comfort, can get me there reliably and is new enough (5-6 years old max).

You'll need a good 1.6 or a lazy-ish 1.8 to give you 120hp, the good news is they will be cheaper than the boggo 1.4 version of the same car, the bad news is they were probably not as popular as the boggo 1.4

Mazda 3?

Could be a choice if I can find one in the right price range.
The Bravo 1.4 T-jet is 150 bhp though and about 40 mpg combined. 0-100 in 8.5 seconds, not too far off my current A3, although FWD and not quattro

EDIT: Thanks Rootx, probably right but as always, I might just stretch my budget...realistically, I can get about 12-13k for my A3 so I could stretch to 6.5k and still free up a lot of cash

bazz26

OP, I think you will struggle to find something that is 5-6 years old on a budget of €5k.

There is a nice 2004 blue Alfa Romeo GT 2.0 on carzone for under €5k if you fancy a coupe.

Mindfulness

bazz26 wrote: »

OP, I think you will struggle to find something that is 5-6 years old on a budget of €5k.

There is a nice 2004 blue Alfa Romeo GT 2.0 on carzone for under €5k if you fancy a coupe.

OP edited to include my new figure of up to 6.5k...here's hoping by the end of this thread I'm not looking to sell the A3 and add 4 or 5 grand to the price I get so i can buy something even bigger :pac:

kmb

I have a 2008 tjet 150 and though it has only 41000 km it has been faultless.
In sport mode it drops to 8.2 secs 0-60 mph
The engine oil is very important in these and even the local toyota dealership didnt have the correct one as it has to be low ash acea 3 i think.
If the one you are looking at has bluetooth then it will be handsfree and be able to read texts from your phone over the speakers.

Mindfulness

kmb wrote: »

I have a 2008 tjet 150 and though it has only 41000 km it has been faultless.
In sport mode it drops to 8.2 secs 0-60 mph
The engine oil is very important in these and even the local toyota dealership didnt have the correct one as it has to be low ash acea 3 i think.
If the one you are looking at has bluetooth then it will be handsfree and be able to read texts from your phone over the speakers.

That's what I like to hear I think the Bravo is probably the best choice and value given the limited budget I've got.